Inclinometer.



II. sKIILIN/I.V

INCLINOIVIETER.

APPLICATION FILED IAN.29` 191s.

1,297,564. Patented Ma1-.`18,1919.

gIIIIII :IIIHIIIM f .RAYMOND sKuLINA, or CHICAGO, Immers.

` INCLINoMErEa.- f

p aparece.

. Beit knownthat I, RAYMODSKULIN, a

subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hun ary,

residing at Chicago,xinthe county of ook and State of Illinois', U. S. A., have invented v new and useful Improvements in Inclinometers, of' which the following is a ,specifinatureA of an instrument particularly adapted -for- "useon aeroplaneshand the like.

It isk amongthe'objects ofmy invention to provide a device which willindica'te to the aviator whether he is flying parallel to the surface of the-earth or at any inclination thereto, and lthereby enable .him ltoinaintai'n his -craft in fiight at any definite distance above theearth that v may be desired. A further object of my invention 1ste provide such ra device which, in addition to being. simple in constructionand comprising but a l few parts, spond instantly to' any inclination that the craft may assume, r

will be sensitive enough to reand thereby permit. the aviator to maintain his craft in its flight at a desired distance above the surface-of the.

`earth.` Y,I*` urther1no're, my device is so con- Y structed that, should the aviator be at a considerable distance above the earth and iy into a cloud bank, hevwill be enabled to determine from my device Whether 4he is ying right-side-up or upside-down The invention consists further in the matl ters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed vout in they appended claims.

In the ac eompanyin Ldrawings-- Figure 1 i's a view o a device constructed I inaccorda-nce with my invention and being shown partly in section and partly 1n eleva#v Fi 2. s shown inthe drawingstthe device embodying the features of my lnventioncomprises a casing 10, made in two parts 11 and 12, which when clamped `or otherwise secured together form a hollow casing forhousing within thesame the operative parts kSpecification of Letters Patent.

ofiny device.. lSaid casin'g'lO 'preferabiy Fig..v 1,. with the llower part` 11 .inadefkof 'metal .or other suitable material,I fand the upper part 12 madeof transparent glass or thelke, 1soccllat, a view` may be haldv; at all tlmes into -thef casing lfrom .the outside thereof for the purpose Iof notingthe position of the indexl arm or pointer`,`.t0, be hereinafter referred to. The parts y11= and 12 .are preferably ysecured 4togethervby an v y' 'Patented-Manie;1919.4@ Application mea January 29,1918.i.serialiira-,214,378.14 f

made spherical in, form, as vvillustrated 1n annular clamping ring or member 13 having screw-threaded connection with thedower part 1.1 andv being provided withl "an in jiv'ardlyeXtending annular flange 111, adapted to engage above an outwardly extending annular rib or bead 15 on the upper part'12.

-To prevent the, glass cover or upper part 12 from being fractured when drawn against the lower part -11 by the clampin ring 13, I inter-pose a rubber-or like vyieldalegasket 16 between the `opposed annular edges' of' such parts, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3; In order to `enable my devicey to bev readily ounted on and be secured to an instrrnlentboardof anair Crafterthe like, I provide the lower part 11 of the casing with an outwardly extending annular flange4 17,'\pro vided with a plurality of suitably spgaced bolt holes 18 extending therethrougha In Fig. 1, 19 designates an instrument-board on thefkind of craft referred to, and, as shown,

said'board is provided with a hole or opening 2O of a size to receive the lower part 1-1 of the casing 10. Said flange 17 seats against the board 19, and is secured thereto. by a plurality of bolts 21 inserted through said bolt holes 18 and registering holes'provided for that purpose in said board. yWithmthe casing in such position, it follows that..the glass cover 12 is 'located on the outside of the board and in position ,to be viewedby' the laviator like any other instrument that may be appliedto said board.

` Located within said casing 1s a member 22,

preferably given the shape of an Aopen frame, as shown in Lthe. drawings, and arranged -to extend. horizontally across the casing and pivoted atits ends thereto on horizontally arranged pivotpins or trunnions 23, to be hereinafter referred to in detail. v

Said frame member .22 has a width less thanits length and 'is preferably made so vas to have its widest part at the center, and with# in said frame islocated a bar 24, the latter extending across the central portion of the frame, as shown, and being pivotally mounted therein on suitable.. pivot 'pins or trunnions 25, to be presently referred to in detail; The frame 22 is pivotally mounted so as to revolve or swing about an axis running lengthwise thereof, and the bar 24 is pivotally mounted so to swing or rock about an axis ruiming lengthwise of the bar but at right-aiigles to the axis of rotation ofthe frame, as' indicated iii Fig. 2. Depending from the center of the bar 24 is a` rod 2G having at its lower end a weight 27. Extending upward from the center of the bar 24 is a rod 28 having at its outerend an index finger or pointer 29. The outer end of the rod28 tei'miiiates closely adjacent the under side of the glass cover 12, and on the outer facel of said cover I provide a n umberof scale lines 30, 31, 32, and 33. Suchl lines are usually etched iii -the outer' surface of the glass cover 12 and extend clear across.- the same. The two lilies 30, 31 intersect each. other at lthe center ofl the spherical curvature given to the glass cover 12, and are arranged at right-angles to each other. The other two lines 32, 33 bisect the angles formed between the lines 30, 31, and are interrupted or broken adjacent the point of intersection of the lines 30, 31. When placing my device on the instrument-board 19, the saine is so positioned that the scale line 30 is in a vertical plane extending lengthwise of the air craft, that is, from stem to' stern, and it follows that the other scale line 31 Will be in a vertical plane extending transversely across the craft and at rightangles to the first mentioned vertical planen Each scale line 30, 31 may be provided with a numberof scale marks 34. properly spaced apart so as to indicate the degree of -inclination assumed by the air craft. By making th`e indeX- iinger or pointer 29 cross-shaped,

.as shown, the same will coincide with both -of the scale lines 30 and 31, when said pointer vis at the intersection of such lines, and thereby serve to indicate that the air craft is traveling at the desired level above. the surface of the earth. That portion of the rod 28 where it -is secured .to the bar 24 is in alinement with the depending rod 26 and, in'etfect, a continuation thereof. As

is the customary practice, the, instrumentboard 19 is arranged at an inclination, so as to be directly in front of the aviator when he occupies his seat in the air craft and thus enable him to have a ready view of all of the instruments -that may be mounted on the board, without being required to leave his seat or'lean over the board to be directly above it, as would be ,the case shouldthe board be. arranged flat like a table top. `When the casing 10 is mounted on said board, the point of intersection of the scale lines30, 31 is directly in front of the aviator, as is apparent. The weight 27 is heavy .the inclination shown, the pointer 29 would not coincide with the scale lines 30,31 at their .point of intersection while the air craft is traveling parallel .to the surface of ing acted upon by gravity at all times, main- I the earth, should all portions of the upper rod 28 extend vertically upward and in alineinentwith the lower rod 261 In order to cause the pointer `29 to coincide or register with the lines 30, 31 at their point of intersection under the conditions just noted,

,l find it necessary'to bend or offset the upper .rod 28'toward the aviator and in a vertical plane of the scale line 30gto an extent sufficient to cause the pointer 29 tocoincide with said scale lines 30, 31, when the craft is flying parallel to the earths surface.

The device 'shown and described, when in use, operates in the following manner. frame member 22, being pivo-ted at its ends in the casing 10 on horizontally arranged pivot pins 23, 23, permits the casing 10 to be tilted or moved relatively to saidframe inember in a vert-ical plane containing the scale line 30, while the weight 27, due to the action of gravity thereon, serves to hold the frame member immovable and in the horizontal positionvshown in Fig. 1. The crossbar. being` pivotally mount-ed at its ends in the frame member 22 on an aXis transverse to the pivotal axis of the latter, permits the casing 10'fto be moved or tilted laterally or in a vert-ical plane containing the transverse scale line 31, while the weight 27 holds the bar 24- iimnovable. and in the horizontal position shown in Fig. 1. The action of gravity on the weight is the same in thev latter case as inthe former. The result is that,

shouldthe aeroplane tilt downward, the cas-l ing 10 would be tilted likewise, and the pointer '29. being held immovable by the pointer 29 would'likewise indicate the de-` gree of upward linclination,assumed by the The c craft by registering on that portion of the scale line 30 above the transverse lscale line 3l, as is apparent. .The diagonally arranged scale lines 32 and 33 are provided for the purpose of enabling .the aviator to deter-A mine whenever the `aeroplane should tilt verticallyv and 'laterally-"and thus permit him to at once rectify his direction of Hight,

should vhe desire to Ymaintainhiis craftat a constant level above the surface ofthe earth.

Aviators have experienced the dfifiiculty heretoforeof being unable to ymaintain their.

crafts at a required level at all times-above the ground, owing to `the factthat they ily at high altitudes and have. no'surrounding objects by .which to determine whether they are flying at all times at Aa certain distance above the ground. Itis due to Vthis also' that aviators when flying at high altitudes are unable to detect vinstantly when their air crafts lare traveling at an inclination downward or upward.. Furthermore, when iiyringat high rates of speed in cloud banks or 'fogs at high altitudes, theV aviator is sometimes'una'ble to v determine whether he is flying right-sideup or upside-down.l With my device itis apparent that these various-difficulties may be readily overcome, and the aviator may main tain the flight of his air craft "above the .30 grcundl at any `desired height that'he'.` may wish to assume andv maintain his flight at such distance .as longjas required, because the pointer 29 will indicate on the scale lines of the glass cover any-.changes of inclination 'cover with a scale thereon, an open frame that may be assumed bythe air craft, and f thus permit` the aviator to rectify'. the same.

Moreover, with my device, should the aviators view be obstructed from the earth and thus cause him to lose track of directions up 40 and down, soas to make itpossible for him to ily upside-down and not be aware of it, my device will indicate such fact immedi- 'ately, because. thenthe weight 27j will be in a position adjacent the glass cover,.while t-he pointer 29 will take a position within the opaque part'll of the 'casing 10. Otherand further advantages `of my device willbe: readily apparent to th'ose skilled in the art to which it appertai'ns. vIn Fig. 3 I have shown in detail yOnewayin which I mayjmakef the pivotalmounting for the/frame member* 22. As shown, I' provide a recess 35 inthe lower. part 11i-of the Y casing and insert through the inner wall' of such recess-thepivot pin 23, which is in the l' form of a set screw having its inner end y, .pointed-and engaging -in the endof the frame;

member, 22. Todhold the set screw in the rotation by suitable j ain-nutsSS, 39, provide'd adapted to engage theassociatedi end of they 4bar, as shown, and to hold such screws in pov derstood that the ldetails of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated may be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of myinvention, and vI do not wish to be limited to the eXact details of construction and arrangement of parts shown, except as pointed out in' the appended claims.

. I'claim as my invention:

1. A device of the character described, comprising a casing having a4 transparent` member pivoted in said casing at diametrically opposed points and having a width less than its length, a bar extending transl vers'ely across the opening `in said frame member and pivoted at its endsthereto, the

lpivot'al axis of said bar being at ri'ght-a'n-I gles to that of the frame, a rod projecting upward from said bar and provided with apointer for said scale, and a weighted mem' ber depending from said bar.

2. A device of the characterdescribed, comprising a 4casing, having a transparent -cover with intersecting scale lines thereon, a

pointer having cross-.amis 'adapted to.reg' ister with said scale lines attheplace of in- .1.05 tersection thereof, and .means for connectving said pointer with said casing so that the latter may have movement. relatively to said pointer andv means for holding said pointer in' a relatively, xed position during any movement --of 'said casing with respect'to said pointer'.

3. .Agdevice' of the character described, v comprising a casing Shaving a transparent Y cover with Aintersecting scale lines thereon, a member pivotedin said casing at Adiametrically opposed points, a bar arranged transversely to said member and being piyoted"` thereto,` a rod projecting upward .from said barV and being .provided at its upper end `with cross-arms adapted to register with properpositiongI provide the same on the. 60 inside ofthe cas-ing withv a jam-nut 36. 'One f l @preferred way in which to pivotally mount the bar 24 is shown in detail in'Fig. 4, where` vin I providev the two pivot pins 25,. 25, in the" form of .set' screws one at each .end 'of` the@ 65 han Each set. screw hasl a pointed 'end comprising a casing having 'a transparent said scale lines at the point; of intersection l thereof, and a weightedmember depending from said. bar.

4. A device of the character described, 125

cover provided with a scale thereon; a normally horizontally arranged member fpivotally mounted 1n saidcasing, a weighted member depending from said-member, and a'rod 130 i secured to said member and extending up- Wardly therefrom toward said cover and havingl at its outer end a, pointer located beneath seid scale, and the outer portion of said rod being bent in the direction ofy one of the scale lines 'on said eover. f

5. The combination with an inclined in-l strumentlboard, oie casing mounted thereon4 and having ,a transparent cover with inter seating scale lines thereon, a member located in said casing and being pivotallyconnected thereto at diametrioa-lly `opposed points', a

Weighted member depending 'from stride, f, said rod having its upper portion bent inthe direction of one of seid scale lines and the .point of intersection of said scalelines being in ai` plane at righ-t-angles'to said board and assing through the pivotal exis ofsaid mem er.

v In testimony that I elaim theforegoing as .my invention, I afiix my signature in the `presence of tWo Witnesses, this 19th 'day of J anuary, 1918.

RAYMOND sKULiNA.

Witnesses:

EUGENEC. WANNs CLARA L. PnoPLEs. 

